Cutter for the insulation of cables



Jan. 22, 1957 A CARTA A 2,778,105

CUTTER FOR THE INSULATION OF CABLES Filed Feb. 20, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 iii.

JNVENToR. /IA/rHoA/V [ART/4 l 39 BY 5223 Jan. 22, A. CARTA CUTTER FOR THE INSULATION oF CABLES Filed Feb. 2o, 195s zsheets-sheet 2 "Hmm YY filmY mVENToR. NTHO/vy (4PM 4 from/5V 2,778,105 CUTTER FOR THE INSULATION F CABLES Anthony Carta, Los Angeles, Calif., assigner to Taca Cable Stripper Mfg. Corp., Los Angeles, Calif., n corporation of California Application February 20, 1956, Serial No. 566,618 11 Claims. (Cl. 30-91) .ln practice, both cuts 'are made-the circular or circumferential cut rst-so that the sheath `part thus severed may be easily removed from the cable.

same greatly facilitating the mentioned adjustment 1between circumferential cutting position and longitudinal slitting position.

improved cutter means, the particular features of which are facile adjustability for depth of cut and ease of replacement when desired.

The invention also has means which will more fully appear in the course of the folnite States Patent 0 lowing description. However, the drawings merely show i bodiment of the present invention, example only.

ln the drawings, like reference characters designate similar parts in the several views.

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a cutter tool according to the present invention and shown in circular or circumferential cutting position. n

Fig. 2 is an end View of the tool as in Fig. 1.

Figs. 3 and 4 are cross-sectional views as taken on lines 3-3 and 4 4, respectively, of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a side elevational View of the tool showing the same in longitudinal cutting position.

Fig. 6 is an end view of the tool as in Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional View as taken on line 7-7 of Fig. 5.

Fig. 8 is an enlarged cross-sectional view as taken on line 8`8 of Fig. 3.

the cable-locating means 11, by the body and axially adjustable relative to the cablelocating means 11, a cable clamp 14 cooperating. with said means 11 and carried by the cutter means, said cutter means 13 embodying automatic' locking; means 1.5, when in projected or cutting position, and fin'gert'cli release means 16 for said locking means.

' of the rod 49 is guided in reduced bore 2,778,105 li'atented Jan. 225,1957

2 The body 10 is preferably integrally provided with a handle 20 and has a through bore Z1 'formed therein, the same terminating in a counterbore 22. The end of the provided with a 'cylindircal extension 24, stituting aligned trunnions. A threaded bore 25 extends at an angle from said opposite end of the lbody and opens into the counterbore 22. Also, said body carries a spring ball detent 26, the same preferably being located at said opposite end, as indicated in Fig. 8.

As can be seen from Fig. 4, said body 10 is generally.

, except that one corner thereof -is rounded over, as at 27, to form a quarter round that has its curvature generated on the center of bore 2,1.

The cable-locating means 11 is shown as comprising a 30 for separably securing said base and arm in longitudinally adjustable position, a 'cable engaging and cen- The arm 29 carries a pin 36 at 'its end remote from intermediate its ends, said arm is procable-'nesting of bore 2l, and the Vlatter comprising an angula'rly bent ring in`- dependently rotational on lpin 36.

Since the arm 29 said space without interference The means 12 interconnects the ybody 10 and the base of Figs. 5 and 6, allowing said rotational movement and the detent 26 retaining the adjusted position.

The cutter means 1-3 is best seen in Figs. l and 8 and is sho'wti vas comprising a housing tube 4i) slidi'ngly mounted `in bore 2l, said tlbe being provided with a head 41 aft the end directed toward the roller 31 and with external vthreads 42 jat the opposite end. The hoi-e adjacent the headed end, is lir's't reduced, as at 441, and then is 'connected into a longitudinal slot 45 that passes through the headed end. In the bore 43 is disposedn a spring 'abutment 46, the same being retained against end'-v wise movement as hy `a lock'screw i7 carried by the body 10, Behind the abutment 46 there is provided a coil compression spring d8. The abutment 46 is shown a tube, the bore of which is aligned with and Aapproximately the same size as the reduced bore 44,

A knife blade-carrying rod 49 is slidingly said aligned bores, the same having a head 50 carried in freni the rip f saidepposit end'. The

A blade 52, having a point 53, has hooking engagement with the notched end oi rod 49 and is held by said rod so as to extend into and through the slot 45 of the housing tube. it will be seen that said slot holds the blade aligned with the rod 49 and that said blade is movable longitudinally in slot 45 according to the longitudinal adjustment of the rod relative to the housing tube.

The threads 42 of the housing tube 40 carry an adjusting nut 54 that is interiorly hollow and is adapted to abut the head 50 of rod 49. A nut 55 locks the adjustment of said nut d.L Thus, the rod 49 is adapted to be projected against the biasing or return force of spring 4S since said spring is confined between the abutment tube 46 and said head 56. Such projection of rod 49 causes protrusion of the blade point 53 beyond the face of head 41 of the housing tube 40.

Although the blade is longitudinally adjustable relative to the housing tube, as above, the spring 4S biasing the blade also provides a biasing torce that holds the housing tube retracted in a direction away ing roller 31. This retracted position of the housing tube is the normal one and provides clearance or application of the tool to a cable for cutting into the sheath thereof.

The cable clamp 14 is shown as flange-like member 56 that has a collar extension 57 which tits over the housing tube and serves as a retractive abutment for the cutter means 13 by engaging the end of the trunnion Z4 on that side of the housing 10. The head 41 of the housing tube iits into a couuterbore on said member 56, the face 58 thereof being substantially flush with the outer face of head 41 and being directed toward the roller 31. Said outer face is provided with a set of bearing balls 59 that are in symmetrical arrangement around the axial center of said member 56 and cooperate with roller 31 to clamp a cable C when the cutter means 13 is projected.

The counterbore 22 houses the automatic locking means which is shown -as a lock plate 60 through which the housing tube extends and which is biased by a spring 61 in a direction to wedge tube 40 against retractive movement. Thus, projection of the tube 40 is easily eiected by an endwise push on nut S4 and the means 15 maintains such projection l-automatically. The dotdash lines of Fig. l show such projection.

The means 16 effects release of the projected housing tube and, therefore, release of the cable C. Such release is effected by a plunger 62 that has a normally-retracted spring-biased position in a guide tube 63 threadedly engaded in the bore 2S. Said plunger 62 is in position to engage and move the spring-biased end of lock plate 60 when a iinger is pushed against the head 64 of plunger 62.

In the position of the tool in Figs. l and 2, the knife point 53, after proper protruded adjustment, will make a circumferential cut 65 through a sheath around the cable C. Then, by adjusting the tool to the position of Figs. 5 and 6 and by using both the handle 20 and the loop or ring 32, the cutter point 53 may be drawn longitudinally along the sheath in the direction of arrow 67 to slit said sheath. Thus cut and slit, the sheath portion 66 may be easily peeled away from the cable even it the same comprises a metal, such as lead.

On all soft sheathed cables, after making the circumferential cut, the blade point may be left in the sheath while the adjustment to the position of Figs. 5 and 6 is made. It is preferred that said point be retracted when making such adjustment for lead sheaths and the like.

While the foregoing has illustrated and described what is now contemplated to be the best mode of carrying out my invention, the construction is, of course, subject to modification without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. It is, therefore, not desired to restrict the invention to the particular form of construction illustrated and described, but to cover all modifications that may fall within the scope of the appended claims.

from the cable-center- Y comprising aligned trunnions on Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A tool of the character described, comprising a body having a handle, a bracket arm having a rotationally adjustable two-position connection with said body, cablecentering means carried by said arm in endwise relationship to said body, and cable-clamping and cutting means carried by the body and axially movable toward and from the cable-centering means to clamp and cut a cable in both positions of the cable-centering means.

2. A tool according to claim l: said tool being circumferentially movable around a cable, in one ot said two positions, to cut a circumferential groove in the sheath of said cable, and longitudinally movable relative to the cable in the other position to longitudinally slit said cable sheath, and a finger loop carried by the cable-centering means and cooperating with the handle to eltect such longitudinal movement of the tool.

3. A tool adapted to both circumferentially cut into the sheath of a cable and longitudinally slit said sheath between said cut andthe end of the cable, said tool comprising a body provided with projectable cutting means, the latter carrying a cable clamp, cable-locating means relative to which said cutting means and clamp are projectable, and means mounting said cable locating means on the body and having two positions rotationally relative to the cutting means.

4. A tool adapted to both circumerentially cut into the sheath of a cable and longitudinally slit said sheath between said cut and the end of the cable, said tool cornprising a body provided with projectable cutting means,

the latter carrying a cable clamp, cable-locating means relative to which said cutting means and clamp are projectable, and a two-position rotationally adjustable base connecting the cable-locating means to the body.

5. A tool adapted to both circumferentially cut into the sheath of a cable and longitudinally slit said sheath 1 between said cut and the end of the cable, said tool comprising a body provided with projectable cutting means, the latter carrying a cable clamp, cable-locating means relative to which said cutting means and clamp are projectable, and a two-position rotationally adjustable base connecting the cable-locating means to the body, andvmeans provided in said base to adjust the cablelocating means longitudinally relative to the end of the body.

6. A tool according to claim 3: the body being provided with aligned trunnions on the axis of projection of the cutting means, and the mounting means including bracket members rotatronally engaged with said trunnions, said member mounting the cable-locating means.

7. A tool according to claim 4: said two-position base the axis of projection of the cutting means, and a pair of bracket members rotationally engaged with the trunnions, said members mounting the cable-locating means.

8. In a tool for cutting into the sheath of a cable, the combination comprising a body, a tubular member axially movable in the body, a spring-biased rod disposed on the axis of said tubular member, a cutter mounted at one end of said rod, and finger-adjustable means carried by the tube to adjust the axial position of the cutter in respect to an end of the tubular member.

9. In a tool according to claim 8: in which the rod extendsr substantially the full length of the tubular member, and the finger-adjustable means is carried by the end of said tubular member that is opposite to the end from which the cutter is protruded, said rod engaging said means at said end.

l0. In a tool according to claim 9: there being a spring abutment within said tubular member, and a spring biased against said abutment and one end of said rod, said spring thereby holding said cutter and said tubular member in a retracted position in respect to said body.

ll. In a tool for cutting into the sheath of a cable,

the combination comprising a body having a handle fixedly secured thereto, cable-locating means mounted on said body, said means being movable a quarter turn around said body from a first to a second position, and a finger loop pivotally carried by said means, said finger loop cooperating with said handle to facilitate the cutting of the sheath in either position of the cable-locating means.

Griin Harkins Apr. 11, 1916 Jan. 16, 1951 

